WiFi Hot Spot

[garmp]

Leaving St. Louis for Tallulah Gorge SP (GA), then onto Fairy Stone SP (VA), Hocking Hills SP (OH) and Mohican SP (OH) (NDOG) and then eventually back home. My question is which hot spot carrier is best for all these locations.
We just returned from a jaunt in southern Missouri with our ATT hot spot and to our surprise ATT cut back on service to that particular area due to lack of use. Pretty bent out of shape over this as it worked last year. Fumed about it for a day or so, but the DW without FaceBook brought out my wrath. Or in other words, I caved in and into the local Wally world for a Verizon hot spot. Now we have both!
Which will best calm the wrath of a woman whom may not be able to reach FaceBook?
Both providers coverage maps are woefully incomplete.
Thanks

[tpi]

I use Verizon and generally have been happy. I've used the Wilson Weboost with it and have had the Wilson provide usable data where none existed without the device.

If I had the ultimate toolkit, I'd also have a source of ATT data. And some kind of wifi extender. But budget dictates realities here, and what I have now generally works well.

[myredracer]

If you do some research, you will find that Verizon 4G has the best coverage across the US by quite a margin. In fact if I'm not mistaken other provider(s) buy their service from Verizon. We have their pay-as-you-go plan which works out really well for us for RV-ing purposes. Refill cards are readily available everywhere. It's been rare so far that we can't get a signal. I believe they have now doubled the available gigs on our plan too.

[Rover_Bill]

All cell phone providers have poor signal areas (especially in the Rocky Mt areas). If you just can’t survive without a daily dose of internet access (LOL!!!), you should take a look at a cell phone signal extender, booster, or repeater. All cell phone companies sell/lease/rent them and there are tons of them for sale in the $400-$500 range. Just be sure your cell phone has a “tethering” or “hot spot” function and that your cell phone provider allows it.

[austinjenna]

If you really need internet while you are at Mohican, there is a Mc D's about 3 miles down the road that has free wifi, about another 1-2 miles past that is the Loudonville library. When you are pulling out of the park, make a left towards Loudonville.

Also take some inner tubes when you go there, the river runs right next to the campground and floating down the river in tubes is what most folks do there. You can put in by the bridge that goes to the cabins and float down and get out right at the pool, or float down a little further and get out before the bridge.

[garmp]

austinjenna wrote:
Take the verizon. At Hocking Hills you will get a decent signal, At Mohican..not so much since the park is kind of in a bowl surrounded by forest. You can get txt and make a call but internet is not going to work there, if at all.

Thanks a bunch, that's the kind of info I was looking for, site specific.
Thanks all for you input.

[2oldman]

Post shuffling is more of an art than a science, but I see 'excess solar power' is still in FTS.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Surprised you didn't post (or the mods move your thread) -

to the "Technology Corner" forum...:h

~

[GoPackGo]

I should add that I also have a Wilson Sleek, both in my car and in my fiver. The Sleek usually adds 1-2 bars when I set the Verizon MiFi in it. In over 2 years of fulltiming, there's been only a couple times where I did not have good reception.

I have a Straight Talk Iphone which runs on the Verizon system. I specifically got a Straight Talk phone that I knew would use Verizon.

[lonfu]

I went with the straight talk. Got the Verizon. I have att pay as go phones. sounds like they have us over a barrel.

[jnharley]

We have had both a Verizon and ATT mifi, adding the ATT several years ago. We are full timers and primarily use Verizon but we own property in the Midwest and it is located in a Verizon dead zone. We usually stay on the property for a couple of months throughout then year so the ATT comes in handy. Wish mobile phone/internet was not so pricey.

[Dutch_12078]

I long ago lost track of how many reviews I've read reporting poor or no AT&T, Sprint, or T-Mobile cell service at parks where our Verizon phones and hotspot worked well for us. I'm sure there are a few locations where the situation is reversed, but apparently they're pretty rare. There are some remote locations of course, where cell coverage from any carrier is not available.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

Did a big trip from Texas to Key West to Connecticut to Texas last year.

We stayed at a lot of COE, USFS and military base campgrounds. And out of the way spots in the Northeast.

Verizon ran about 35% good coverage.

ATT ran about 45% good coverage.

When you look at a coverage map of an area - it may show 'great coverage' but a campground might have no coverage. It always amazes me that a COE campground in the Dallas metro area has no usable Verizon signal, yet a half mile away at Walmart - great signal.

Yes, we had no cell or hot spot coverage about 20% of the time, which is a lot better than west Texas or the mountains of New Mexico.

Be aware of terrain. If you are surrounded by mountains and down in a valley - your chances of getting coverage are low.

If you are back in the woods 'far' from civilization - your chances of coverage are low.

If you want to stay near interstates and medium to large cities - your chances of coverage are high.

Yes, we have both, and take both with us as full-timers.

[ADAD437]

got tired of no service from at&t years ago and switched to verizon and never looked back. several people in the park i winter at in fl. has at&t no service.

[austinjenna]

Take the verizon. At Hocking Hills you will get a decent signal, At Mohican..not so much since the park is kind of in a bowl surrounded by forest. You can get txt and make a call but internet is not going to work there, if at all.